Excerpt: Historically, female anatomy has often been represented as taboo, shameful, and hypersexualized. These ideas have carried throughout history where female anatomy was treated as inferior to the anatomy of their male counterparts due to the lack of understanding and knowledge as to how their bodies function. For most of history, the female body was seen as an object of reproduction or property. According to an online article by Time, “Knowledge about female biology centered on women’s capacity—and duty—to reproduce…women’s illnesses and diseases consistently related to the ‘secrets’ and ‘curiosities’ of her reproductive organs” (Cleghorn, The Long History of Gender Bias in Medicine). As long as a woman was able to reproduce they were deemed as healthy. This mindset led many doctors to ignore any other medical symptoms a woman might have and led to the idea that women just had hysteria. Being historically misunderstood has led to a sense of mystery and confusion about the female body. This confusion has carried throughout history and has influenced how female health is roughly taught today. Education about the female body can be deemed as uncomfortable or inappropriate leaving generation after generation of women uninformed and unprepared. Although medicine has since expanded and evolved, there is still a lack of general understanding and education about basic female anatomy and its inner workings which has led to negative consequences. The lack of education about the female body not only causes confusion and discomfort among both males and females but has led to detrimental consequences. Not being informed about one’s reproductive anatomy can be harmful as it can lead women to become more vulnerable to medical manipulation, misinformation, and control. This control has led to forced medical procedures, lack of informed consent, and administration of unknown medications. In the chapter titled Better Dead Than Pregnant, Smith explains how reproductive rights, specifically those of Indigenous women have been weaponized against them as a form of control. She further explains how young women from marginalized communities can be manipulated due to underlying factors of medical racism that make it easier for doctors to administer nonconsensual procedures. In one case “ ..the woman had been given a complete hysterectomy for birth control purposes when she was 20 years old and had not been informed that the operation was irreversible” (Smith 81). This lack of communication between doctors and patients is a form of power and control over their bodies. Without adequate education on the topic, most women are left with knowledge gaps and shame about their bodily autonomy. In some cases, this lack of knowledge has resulted in health complications. In an article titled The Birth Control Pill, Thromboembolic Disease, Science and the Media: A Historical Review of the Relationship, Lackie states that “Thromboembolic disease includes blood clots and pulmonary embolism. Scientific reports suggesting a possible relationship between the Pill and thromboembolic risk made headlines in the worlds of women’s health care, policy and media” (Lackie 17). She explains that although rare, birth control pills can slightly increase one’s risk of health complications. This further highlights the dangers of inadequate information when dealing with the female reproductive system.
The above image is a parody of National Geographic magazines. There are many misconseptions about the female body, leading to many questions about basic anatomy. I created this image with the idea that the female body is an unexplored, mysterious, yet wonderous creature, just as something National Geographic magazines would report on.
The earliest memory of a woman’s body would be my mother’s. I can recall a time when as a child I would play in the bathtub while she took a shower. I vividly remember that she would frequently, if not always, wear underwear while she showered. Being so young I had thought that this was normal and that everyone wore underwear when they showered. Subconsciously, that action instilled a sense of mystery as to what her body looked like in my young mind. As I grew older and learned that showering with underwear is not normal I questioned why she would do that when I was younger. Perhaps she did not want me to see her pubic hair, as I did not have any at the time, or maybe she was ashamed of her body. Either way, as a young girl I recognized that the female body was a mysterious topic. As I grew older I realized that there was a general widespread misinformation about a woman’s body, not just among men but among women themselves. This misinformation has led to confusion about my health and body. Could so many women be unaware of how their bodies function? The lack of education and conversation about the female body has resulted in misinformation and negative consequences for women’s health, and autonomy, and further perpetuates a stigma about women.
Much of the misinformation about the female body stems from historical stigma. Historically, female anatomy has often been represented as taboo, shameful, and hypersexualized. These ideas have carried throughout history where female anatomy was treated as inferior to the anatomy of their male counterparts due to the lack of understanding and knowledge as to how their bodies function. For most of history, the female body was seen as an object of reproduction or property. According to an online article by Time, “Knowledge about female biology centered on women’s capacity—and duty—to reproduce…women’s illnesses and diseases consistently related to the ‘secrets’ and ‘curiosities’ of her reproductive organs” (Cleghorn, The Long History of Gender Bias in Medicine). As long as a woman was able to reproduce they were deemed as healthy. This mindset led many doctors to ignore any other medical symptoms a woman might have and led to the idea that women just had hysteria. Being historically misunderstood has led to a sense of mystery and confusion about the female body. This confusion has carried throughout history and has influenced how female health is roughly taught today. Education about the female body can be deemed as uncomfortable or inappropriate leaving generation after generation of women uninformed and unprepared. Although medicine has since expanded and evolved, there is still a lack of general understanding and education about basic female anatomy and its inner workings which has led to negative consequences.
The lack of education about the female body not only causes confusion and discomfort among both males and females but has led to detrimental consequences. Not being informed about one’s reproductive anatomy can be harmful as it can lead women to become more vulnerable to medical manipulation, misinformation, and control. This control has led to forced medical procedures, lack of informed consent, and administration of unknown medications. In the chapter titled Better Dead Than Pregnant, Smith explains how reproductive rights, specifically those of Indigenous women have been weaponized against them as a form of control. She further explains how young women from marginalized communities can be manipulated due to underlying factors of medical racism that make it easier for doctors to administer nonconsensual procedures. In one case “ ..the woman had been given a complete hysterectomy for birth control purposes when she was 20 years old and had not been informed that the operation was irreversible” (Smith 81). This lack of communication between doctors and patients is a form of power and control over their bodies. Without adequate education on the topic, most women are left with knowledge gaps and shame about their bodily autonomy. In some cases, this lack of knowledge has resulted in health complications. In an article titled The Birth Control Pill, Thromboembolic Disease, Science and the Media: A Historical Review of the Relationship, Lackie states that “Thromboembolic disease includes blood clots and pulmonary embolism. Scientific reports suggesting a possible relationship between the Pill and thromboembolic risk made headlines in the worlds of women’s health care, policy and media” (Lackie 17). She explains that although rare, birth control pills can slightly increase one’s risk of health complications. This further highlights the dangers of inadequate information when dealing with the female reproductive system. As someone who has been on birth control on and off for the past six years, I had never once thought to look at the ingredients or do general research on the pill that I am taking. This information has been concerning and has put a new perspective on my lack of understanding as to what I put in my body every day. Although it is my responsibility to do my research, I am shocked that this information is not as widespread as it is considering birth control, a medicine that directly affects my reproductive organs. Another factor that contributes to the general misunderstanding of female sexuality and health has also been due to the societal silence and perception of women in the present day.
The media and the way they portray female sexuality plays an important role in shaping how women think and view their bodies. More often than not the female body is seen as an object of consumerism and judgment, as portrayed in various forms of media. From this, young girls are taught at a young age that entering adulthood the female body is something that should be kept to a particular standard to be deemed desirable. These standards internalize the harmful belief that a woman’s worth is tied to how they look rather than how they feel. In the book titled The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls, the author emphasizes how many families relied on health and hygiene guides written by male doctors to teach girls about the changes in their bodies. She states these books “contribute to how adolescent girls make the body into an intense project requiring scrutiny and constant personal control (Brumburg 30). Although these books are a source of education, they push the idea that all female bodies are the same and can cause further confusion to a young girl going through menstruation for the first time. She further explains that “instead of seeing menarche as a marker of an important internal change in a girl…modern mothers typically stress the importance of outside appearances for their daughters (Brumburg 30). Without empowering representation, young girls are left to figure out and learn about their bodies on their own despite the modern normalcy that periods are a secretive concept. Up until I had gotten my period, I did not know what to expect due to again lack of education and conversation. The only representation of the concept of a period was what I saw in the media, which was often portrayed as a horrible life-or-death experience that should be kept secret. With personal experience, I learned more about how my body functions but if I were a man I would have a completely different mindset. I believe that the media needs to do a better job of presenting female anatomy as most are hypersexualized and shameful. This creates an unrealistic expectation of what a woman’s body should be for both men and women. Women deserve better and that starts with education and an open conversation about our bodies.
The lack of education and conversation about the female body has resulted in misinformation and negative consequences for women’s health, and autonomy, and further perpetuates a stigma about women. The silence towards women’s bodies creates a sense of mystery and shame that harms the way women view themselves and their bodies. From historical stigmas to modern-day media representation of the female body, this lack of knowledge leaves women vulnerable and disconnected from their bodies. This can lead to detrimental effects on not only women’s mental health but their physical wellbeing. Furthermore, this lack of education However, honest and inclusive education and conversation can help shift this narrative and challenge harmful stereotypes. Our bodies are something that should not be a mystery but a reality that can be understood to properly care for it. Going forward I have decided to inform and educate myself more on the medicine I take and how it affects my reproductive system and body. I believe that society has a long way to go in the acceptance of women’s bodies but the proper education to both genders is a step in the right direction for the overall health and wellbeing of women.
Work Cited
Brumburg, Joan.“The Body Project.” Google Books, Google, books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=EvGKDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=historical%2Bfemale%2Bbody&ots=P8TLp1hObb&sig=rO77Dcm1R1_I6k7daN2nknF-jdc#v=onepage&q=historical%20female%20body&f=false. Accessed 9 May 2025.
Cleghorn, Elinor. “The Long History of Gender Bias in Medicine.” Time, Time, 17 June 2021, time.com/6074224/gender-medicine-history/.
Elyse, Lackie a b, et al. “The Birth Control Pill, Thromboembolic Disease, Science and the Media: A Historical Review of the Relationship.” Contraception, Elsevier, 22 June 2016, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010782416301299.
Smith, Andrea. “Better Dead Than Pregnant, The Colonization of Native Women’s Reproductive Health.” Conquest
